warble

1
[ wawr-buhl ]
See synonyms for warble on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),war·bled, war·bling.
  1. to sing or whistle with trills, quavers, or melodic embellishments: The canary warbled most of the day.

  2. to yodel.

  1. (of electronic equipment) to produce a continuous sound varying regularly in pitch and frequency.

verb (used with object),war·bled, war·bling.
  1. to sing (an aria or other selection) with trills, quavers, or melodious turns.

  2. to express or celebrate in or as if in song; carol.

noun
  1. a warbled song or succession of melodic trills, quavers, etc.

  2. the act of warbling.

Origin of warble

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun werble, warble “a tune,” from Old North French, from Germanic; compare Old High German werbel “something that turns”

Words Nearby warble

Other definitions for warble (2 of 2)

warble2
[ wawr-buhl ]

nounVeterinary Pathology.
  1. a small, hard tumor on a horse's back, produced by the galling of the saddle.

  2. a lump in the skin of an animal's back, containing the larva of a warble fly.

Origin of warble

2
First recorded in 1575–85; origin uncertain; compare Middle Swedish varbulde “boil”

Other words from warble

  • warbled, adjective
  • un·war·bled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use warble in a sentence

  • It rose with a low, clear, deliberate warble, and seemed to float in the gray sky like the note of a lark.

  • Their subdued warble may be heard during October and later, as if the birds were humming to themselves.

    Bird Neighbors | Neltje Blanchan
  • Shrill and re-echoing through the narrow passage came the flute-like warble which Jacob knew only too well.

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
  • Petticoat told her that his mother had been living with him, but had fled incontinently on hearing a description of warble.

    Ptomaine Street | Carolyn Wells
  • The car was a museum piece, and as warble caromed into its cushions she felt that her lines had fallen in pleasant places.

    Ptomaine Street | Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for warble (1 of 2)

warble1

/ (ˈwɔːbəl) /


verb
  1. to sing (words, songs, etc) with trills, runs, and other embellishments

  2. (tr) to utter in a song

  1. US another word for yodel

noun
  1. the act or an instance of warbling

Origin of warble

1
C14: via Old French werbler from Germanic; compare Frankish hwirbilōn (unattested), Old High German wirbil whirlwind; see whirl

British Dictionary definitions for warble (2 of 2)

warble2

/ (ˈwɔːbəl) /


nounvet science
  1. a small lumpy abscess under the skin of cattle caused by infestation with larvae of the warble fly

  2. a hard tumorous lump of tissue on a horse's back, caused by prolonged friction of a saddle

Origin of warble

2
C16: of uncertain origin

Derived forms of warble

  • warbled, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012